Going to DW when all I want to do is go to DL*Update*

[disneyismyheart247]

Disneyland is underestimated, once again. Try the Disneyland Resort. It's amazing and it's been amazing for the past 57 years. I think anyone who declares themself a huge Disney fan but has no desire to see the original Disney park is disappointing themselves.

 

[Judy from Boise]

That is not at all what I heard from the OP or anyone else on this thread..........?

I think I understand the comment that you have to plan more carefully at DLR, and I am guessing it relates to the AP blackout dates, and things like grad night. You can make some critical errors that will ruin your trip unless you pay attention.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[SA mom]

We are WDW vets and greatly enjoyed our recent trip to the Land. We gave up the WDW dinning plan with our daughters became Disney Adults at age 10. Just couldn't afford it.

Maybe putting money on a gift card for food would give you the feeling of inclusiveness. Treat it like a dining plan and forget about it.

And yes, I do believe we did have churros for dinner one night waiting for World of Color!

 

[peyjax]

Maybe putting money on a gift card for food would give you the feeling of inclusiveness. Treat it like a dining plan and forget about it.

And yes, I do believe we did have churros for dinner one night waiting for World of Color!

Fantastic idea!
In reality I am not that crazy about the dining at DW since it has gone down hill (well really nose dived) in the past 5 years and really like the ease of counter service. Part of the draw to DL is trying the different food out there.
I have been trying to break it all down and just get over the mindset of DW. Its a slow process,but these these posts are helping.

Question: How much would you estimate to put on the card for food per day? 2A3K

 

[SA mom]

Check the websites for the menus to estimate the cost of meals. We stayed club level at the Sheraton Park so we ate breakfast there and treated the happy hour reception as dinner. We ate very few meals in the park. When we did purchase entrees at counter service, we shared. The portions are large, like at WDW.

 

[Liltx]

Hotel suggestion: maybe look into the Doubletree Suites. You get two rooms for less than the price of a moderate at WDW. They are very nice. We did use the ART some when we stayed there but it is walkable too if you are leaving the parks at a crowded time like after fireworks. Also, the ART is so much faster than the disney system mostly because of the distance but still.

Another option: Stay in Irvine. You can get a really nice true hotel on priceline for $45 a night. The drive is around 20-30 minutes depending on traffic but there are great rest., and entertainment all around there and very close to the beach. We have found that we don't need an afternoon break at the hotel when we do DL even when the kids were 3 and 5. We do one day DL, one day off and repeat. The off days are used for beach and other sites.

There are MANY great dining options around DL but I do think that a car is required for the best trip. You are seriously limited without one. The good news is that you can often find great deals on rentals. I have been able to get standard size cars for less than $100 for a week when going through Costco. A car will enable you to take side trips to the beach (newport is our favorite or Aliso in laguna), see some sites in LA, visit the San Diego Zoo etc. When you add in these trips it make DL a true vacation. The weather makes the trip so nice as well. If you are only interested in the parks then just go to WDW IMO.

My kiddos have been to WDW 7 times and DL 2. When I travel alone with the kids WDW is the way to go. If DH goes with us we prefer DL.